Display device

ABSTRACT

A display device including: a plurality of unit portions repeatedly arranged in a first direction and a second direction, wherein the second direction is different from the first direction; a plurality of display units respectively arranged above the plurality of unit portions; and a plurality of encapsulation layers respectively encapsulating the plurality of display units, wherein each of the plurality of unit portions includes an island where a display unit and an encapsulation layer are located, and at least one connection unit connected to the island, and islands of two unit portions adjacent to each other are spaced apart from each other, and connection units of the two unit portions adjacent to each other are connected to each other.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/196,024 filed on Nov. 20, 2018, which is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 15/384,928 filed Dec. 20, 2016, now U.S.Pat. No. 10,135,011 issued on Nov. 20, 2018, which claims priority under35 U.S.C. § 119 to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2016-0034071, filedon Mar. 22, 2016, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, thedisclosures of which are incorporated by reference herein in theirentireties.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Exemplary embodiments of the inventive concept relate to a displaydevice.

DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART

Various flat panel display devices having excellent characteristics,such as, thinness, lightness, and low power consumption, currentlyexist. More recently, flexible display devices that may be folded orrolled are being developed. And further, stretchable display devicescapable of variously changing their shapes are being developed.

A display device that is thin and flexible may include a thin-filmencapsulation layer to keep out external moisture or external oxygen.Generally, the thin-film encapsulation layer may have a structure inwhich inorganic films and organic films are alternately stacked on eachother. However, the general thin-film encapsulation layer may be damagedwhen a shape of the display device is changed.

SUMMARY

According to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept, a displaydevice includes: a plurality of unit portions repeatedly arranged in afirst direction and a second direction, wherein the second direction isdifferent from the first direction; a plurality of display unitsrespectively arranged above the plurality of unit portions; and aplurality of encapsulation layers respectively encapsulating theplurality of display units, wherein each of the plurality of unitportions includes an island where a display unit and an encapsulationlayer are located, and at least one connection unit connected to theisland, and islands of two unit portions adjacent to each other arespaced apart from each other, and connection units of the two unitportions adjacent to each are connected to each other.

A closed curve may be formed between four unit portions adjacent to eachother and the closed curve defines an isolated region.

The isolated region may contact islands of the four unit portions.

Each of the plurality of unit portions may include four connectionunits, and four connection units included in one unit portion may extendin different directions to be respectively connected to four other unitportions surrounding the one unit portion.

The island and the at least one connection unit of at least one of theunit portions may include a same material.

Two unit portions adjacent to each other may be symmetrical.

In each of the unit portions the island may include at least one sidesurface to which the at least one connection unit is connected, and anextending direction of the at least one connection unit and the at leastone side surface to which the at least one connection unit may beconnected form an acute angle.

A connecting region of the at least one connection unit and the at leastone side surface may include a curved surface.

The plurality of encapsulation layers may include in fluorophosphatesglass, chalcogenide glass, tellurite glass, borate glass, or phosphateglass.

Each of the plurality of encapsulation layers may include a firstinorganic film, a second inorganic film, and an organic film between thefirst and second inorganic films, and at least one of the firstinorganic film and the second inorganic film may contact a side surfaceof the island of one of the unit portions.

The organic film may include silicon oxide containing carbon andhydrogen,

Each of the plurality of display units may include a display region anda non-display region outside the display region and a dam portionsurrounding at least a part of the display region may be located in thenon-display region, and the first inorganic film and the secondinorganic film may cover the dam portion and contact each other outsidethe dam portion.

The second inorganic film may extend above the at least one connectionunit.

A flexure portion may be partially formed above the at least oneconnection unit.

Each of the plurality of display units may include a thin-filmtransistor including at least one inorganic layer, a display elementelectrically connected to the thin-film transistor, and a passivationlayer between the thin-film transistor and the display element, and theat least one inorganic layer and the passivation layer may extend abovethe at least one connection unit.

The passivation layer extending above the at least one connection unitmay include a disconnection region that exposes the at least oneinorganic layer, and at least one of the first inorganic film and thesecond inorganic film may contact the at least one inorganic layerthrough the disconnection region.

The at least one connection unit may include a pair of first connectionunits that are located opposite to each other and extend in a directionparallel to the first direction, and a pair of second connection unitsthat are located opposite to each other and extend in a directionparallel to the second direction, a first wiring portion may be locatedabove the pair of first connection units and a second wiring portion maybe located above the pair of second connection units, and the firstwiring portion and the second wiring portion may cross each other abovethe island of one of the unit portions.

The first wiring portion and the second wiring portion may include asame material.

Each of the plurality of display units may include a display element anda thin-film transistor electrically connected to the display element,the thin-film transistor may include an active layer, a gate electrode,a source electrode, and a drain electrode, and the source electrode, thedrain electrode, the first wiring portion, and the second wiring portionmay include a same material.

The first wiring portion may include a first voltage line, a secondvoltage line, and at least one data line, and the second wiring portionmay include at least one scan line.

Each of the plurality of display units may include a display elementincluding a first electrode, a second electrode, and an intermediatelayer including an organic emission layer between the first and secondelectrodes, the first voltage line may electrically connect firstelectrodes respectively included in the plurality of display units andseparated from each other to each other, and the second voltage line mayelectrically connect second electrodes respectively included in theplurality of display units and separated from each other to each other.

Each of the plurality of display units may include a display element anda thin-film transistor electrically connected to the display element,the thin-film transistor may include an active layer, a gate electrode,a source electrode, and a drain electrode, and the display element mayinclude a first electrode, a second electrode, and an intermediate layerincluding an organic emission layer between the first and secondelectrodes, the first electrode may extend from the source electrode orthe drain electrode, and each of the plurality of display units mayfurther include a color filter that is disposed between the firstelectrode and the island of one of the unit portions and include aregion overlapping the first electrode.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept, aflexible display device includes: a substrate; a plurality of displayunits spaced apart from each other above the substrate; and a pluralityof encapsulation layers each encapsulating one of the plurality ofdisplay units, wherein the substrate includes a plurality of islandsspaced apart from each other, a plurality of connection units connectingthe plurality of islands, and a plurality of penetration portionspenetrating the substrate between the plurality of connection units,each of the plurality of display units is disposed above a correspondingone of the plurality of islands, and wiring portions electricallyconnecting the plurality of display units are located above theplurality of connection units.

The plurality of islands and the plurality of connection units may beintegrally formed.

Each of the plurality of encapsulation layers may include a firstinorganic film, a second inorganic film, and an organic film between thefirst and second inorganic films, and at least one of the firstinorganic film and the second inorganic film may contact a side surfaceof a corresponding one of the plurality of islands.

The second inorganic film may extend above the plurality of connectionunits.

A flexure portion may be formed at least partly above the plurality ofconnection units.

Each of the plurality of display units may include a thin-filmtransistor including at least one inorganic layer, a display elementelectrically connected to the thin-film transistor, and a passivationlayer between the thin-film transistor and the display element, and theat least one inorganic layer and the passivation layer may extend abovethe plurality of connection units.

The passivation layer above the plurality of connection units mayinclude a disconnection region exposing the at least one inorganiclayer, and at least one of the first inorganic film and the secondinorganic film may contact the at least one inorganic layer through thedisconnection region.

The disconnection region may cross the plurality of connection units ina width direction of the plurality of connection units.

Each of the plurality of display units may include a display region anda non-display region outside the display region, wherein a dam portionsurrounding at least a part of the display region may be located in thenon-display region, and the first inorganic film and the secondinorganic film may cover the darn portion and contact each other beyondthe dam portion.

The plurality of islands may be repeatedly arranged along a firstdirection and a second direction different from the first direction toform a lattice pattern, four connection units may be connected to eachof the plurality of islands, and the four connection units connected toone island may extend in different directions to be respectivelyconnected to four other islands near the one island.

The four connection units may include a pair of first connection unitslocated opposite to each other and extending parallel to the firstdirection, and a pair of second connection units located opposite toeach other and extending parallel to the second direction, the wiringportions may include a first wiring portion located above the pair offirst connection units and a second wiring portion located above thepair of second connection units, and the first wiring portion and thesecond wiring portion may cross each other above the plurality ofislands.

The first wiring portion may include a region protruding and curved in adirection parallel to the second direction around the plurality ofpenetration portions, and the second wiring portion may include a regionprotruding and curved in a direction parallel to the first directionaround the plurality of penetration portions.

Each of the plurality of display units may include a display element anda thin-film transistor electrically connected to the display element,the thin-film transistor may include an active layer, a gate electrode,a source electrode, and a drain electrode, and the source electrode, thedrain electrode, the first wiring portion, and the second wiring portionmay include a same material.

The first wiring portion may include a first voltage line, a secondvoltage line, and at least one data line, and the second wiring portionmay include at least one scan line.

Each of the plurality of display units may include a display element,wherein the display element may include a first electrode, a secondelectrode, and an intermediate layer including an organic emission layerbetween the first and second electrodes, the first voltage line mayelectrically connect first electrodes included in the plurality ofdisplay units and separated from each other to each other, and thesecond voltage line may electrically connect second electrodes includedin the plurality of display units and separated from each other to eachother.

Two islands adjacent to each other may be connected by one connectionunit, and side surfaces of the two islands connected by the oneconnection unit and an extending direction of the one connection unitmay form an acute angle.

Each of the plurality of islands may have a rectangular shape, andcorner portions of the rectangular shape may face the first directionand the second direction.

The flexible display device may further include a first protection filmand a second protection film respectively disposed above a top surfaceand a bottom surface of the substrate.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept, a displaydevice includes: a plurality of unit portions arranged in, a matrix,wherein at least one of the unit portions includes: an island; aplurality of connecting units connected to sides of the island; adisplay unit disposed on the island; and an encapsulating unitoverlapping the display unit and the island, wherein an open space isdisposed between two adjacent unit portions formed in a column, whereina connecting unit connecting the two adjacent unit portions is a side ofthe open space

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and/or other features of the inventive concept will becomemore apparent by describing in detail exemplary embodiments thereof,with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view schematically illustrating a display deviceaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged plan view of a region A of FIG. 1, according to anexemplary embodiment of the inventive concept;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a unit portion of FIG. 1 according to anexemplary embodiment of the inventive concept;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line I-I′ of FIG. 3,according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line II-II′ of FIG. 3,according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line III-III′ of FIG. 3,according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line I-I′ of FIG. 3,according o an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II′ of FIG. 3,according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line III-III′ of FIG.3, according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept;

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II′ of FIG. 3,according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept;

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II′ of FIG. 3,according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept;

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II′ of FIG. 3,according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept;

FIG. 13 is an enlarged plan view of the region A of FIG. 1, according toan exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept;

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line VI-VI′ of FIG, 13,according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept;

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line VII-VII′ of FIG.13, according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept;

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line I-I′ of FIG. 3,according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept;

FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line I-I′ of FIG. 3,according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept;

FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view of a display device according to anexemplary embodiment of the inventive concept;

FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view of a display device according to anexemplary embodiment of the inventive concept; and

FIG. 20 is an enlarged plan view of the region A of FIG. 1, according toan exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENT

Exemplary embodiments of the inventive concept will now be describedwith reference to the accompanying drawings. This inventive concept may,however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construedas being limited to the embodiments set forth herein.

An expression used in the singular encompasses the expression in theplural, unless it has a clearly different meaning in the context. Indrawings, for convenience of description, sizes of components may beexaggerated for clarity.

In drawings, like reference numerals may refer to like elementsthroughout and overlapping descriptions shall not be repeated.

FIG. 1 is a plan view schematically illustrating a display device 10according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept, and FIG.2 is an enlarged plan view of a region A of FIG. 1, according to anexemplary embodiment of the inventive concept.

Referring to FIG. 1, the display device 10 according to an exemplaryembodiment of the inventive concept may include a substrate 100 anddisplay units 200 above the substrate 100.

The substrate 100 may include various materials. For example, thesubstrate 100 may be formed of glass, a metal, or an organic material.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept, thesubstrate 100 may be formed of a flexible material. For example, thesubstrate 100 may be formed of a material that is twistable, bendable,foldable, or rollable. The flexible material forming the substrate 100may be ultra-thin glass, a metal, or plastic. When the substrate 100includes plastic, the substrate 100 may contain polyimide (Pl). Asanother example, the substrate 100 may contain another type of plastic.

The substrate 100 may include a plurality of islands 101 that are spacedapart from each other, a plurality of connection units 102 connectingthe plurality of islands 101, and a plurality of penetration portions Vpenetrating through the substrate 100 between the plurality ofconnection units 102. As will be described later with reference to FIG.18, first and second protection films 410 and 420 may be providedrespectively at the top and bottom of the substrate 100.

The plurality of islands 101 may be spaced apart from each other. Forexample, the plurality of islands 101 may be repeatedly arranged along afirst direction X and a second direction Y different from the firstdirection X to form a plane lattice pattern. For example, the first andsecond directions X and Y may cross at right angles. As another example,the first and second directions X and Y may form an obtuse angle or anacute angle.

The plurality of display units 200 may be respectively disposed abovethe plurality of islands 101. An individual display unit 200 may includeat least a display element to realize visible light. The individualdisplay unit 200 will be described later with reference to FIG. 4.

The plurality of connection units 102 may connect the plurality ofislands 101 to each other. For example, four connection units 102 areconnected to each of the plurality of islands 101. The four connectionunits 102 connected to one island 101 may extend in different directionsto be respectively connected to four other islands 101 surrounding theone island 101. The plurality of islands 101 and the plurality ofconnection units 102 may be formed continuously and of the samematerial. In other words, the plurality of islands 101 and the pluralityof connection units 102 may be integrally formed.

The penetration portions V are formed to penetrate through the substrate100. An individual penetration portion V may provide an isolated regionbetween the plurality of islands 101, reduce a weight of the substrate100, and increase flexibility of the substrate 100. In addition, shapesof the penetration portions V change when the substrate 100 is twisted,bent, or rolled so as to reduce stress that is generated when thesubstrate 100 is deformed, thereby preventing abnormal deformation ofthe substrate 100 and increasing durability of the substrate 100.Accordingly, user convenience increases when the display device 10 isused, and in particular, the display device 10 may be easily applied toa wearable device.

The penetration portion V may be formed by removing one region of thesubstrate 100 via etching, or the substrate 100 may be manufactured toinclude the penetration portion V. A process of forming the penetrationportion V may vary and is not limited.

Hereinafter, a unit portion U that is a basic unit of forming thesubstrate 100 and a structure of the substrate 100 will be described byusing the unit portion U.

The unit portions U may be repeatedly arranged along the first directionX and the second direction Y. In other words, the substrate 100 may beformed as a plurality of the unit portions U that are repeatedlyarranged along the first and second directions X and Y are combined witheach other. The unit portion U may include the island 101 and at leastone connection unit 102 connected to the island 101. Four connectionunits 102 may be connected to one island 101.

The islands 101 of two adjacent unit portions U may be spaced apart fromeach other, and the connection units 102 of the two adjacent unitportions U may be connected to each other. Here, the connection unit 102included in the unit portion U may denote a partial region of theconnection unit 102 located within a region of the unit portion U or theentire connection unit 102 connecting two neighboring islands 101.

Four adjacent unit portions U from among the plurality of unit portionsU form a closed curve CL therebetween, and the closed curve CL maydefine an isolated region, e.g., an empty space. The isolated region maybe the penetration portion V. The isolated region is a region formed byremoving one region of the substrate 100, and may increase flexibilityof the substrate 100 and reduce stress that is generated when thesubstrate 100 is deformed. In addition, the connection unit 102 may havea width smaller than the island 101, and accordingly, the isolatedregion may also contact the islands 101 of the four adjacent unitportions U.

Two adjacent unit portions U from among the plurality of unit portions Umay be symmetrical. For example, as shown in FIG. 1 one unit portion Umay be symmetrical to another unit portion U arranged adjacent to theone unit portion U along the second direction Y based on an axis ofsymmetry parallel to the first direction X. In addition, the one unitportion U may be symmetrical to another unit portion U arranged adjacentto the one unit portion U along the first direction X based on an axisof symmetry parallel to the second direction Y.

In addition, an angle 0 between an extending direction of the connectionunit 102 and a side surface of the island 101 to which the connectionunit 102 is connected may be an acute angle. For example, when theisland 101 has a rectangular shape and corner portions of therectangular shape are arranged to face the first and second directions Xand V, the connection units 102 may be connected to the island 101 inregions adjacent to the corner portions and may extend in a directionparallel to the second direction Y or the first direction X. In otherwords, the connection unit 102 connected to the corner portion facingthe first direction X faces the second direction Y or a—seconddirection—Y, and the connection unit 102 connected to the corner portionfacing the second direction may face the first direction X or a—firstdirection—X. Accordingly, each of side surfaces of two adjacent islands101 connected to one connection unit 102 and an extending direction ofthe one connection unit 102 may form an acute angle, and thus theislands 101 may be densely arranged and lengths of the connection units102 may be reduced, thereby increasing an area of the isolated region.In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, the substrate 100 may have anelongation property.

FIG. 2 illustrates a shape when the substrate 100 is stretched along thefirst and second directions X and Y. Referring to FIG. 2, when anexternal force is applied to the substrate 100, the angle 0 between theextending direction of the connection unit 102 and the side surface ofthe island 101 to which the connection unit 102 is connected increasesto an angle θ′, and accordingly, an area of the isolated region mayincrease. Accordingly, intervals between the islands 101 increase andthe substrate 100 is stretched along the first and second directions Xand Y such that a shape of the substrate 100 is changed in 2-dimensions(2D) or 3-dimensions (3D).

In addition, since the connection unit 102 has a width smaller than theisland 101, a shape change for increasing the angle θ when the externalforce is applied to the substrate 100 appears mainly in the connectionunit 102, and a shape of the island 101 may not change when thesubstrate 100 is elongated. Accordingly, the display unit 200 disposedabove the island 101 is stably maintained when the substrate 100 isstretched, and thus the display device 10 may be easily applied to adisplay device that requires flexibility, such as a bending displaydevice, a flexible display device, or a stretchable display device.

In addition, stress that is generated when the substrate 100 iselongated is concentrated on a connection region of the connection unit102 connected to the side surface of the island 101, and thus theconnecting region of the, connection unit 102 may include a curvedsurface to prevent the connection unit 102 from being torn due toconcentration of the stress.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the unit portion U of FIG. 1 according to anexemplary embodiment of the inventive concept, FIG. 4 is across-sectional view taken along a line I-I′ of FIG. 3, according to anexemplary embodiment of the inventive concept, FIG. 5 is across-sectional view taken along a line of FIG. 3, according to anexemplary embodiment of the inventive concept, and FIG. 6 is across-sectional view taken along a line III-III′ of FIG. 3, according toan exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept.

Referring to FIGS. 3 through 6, the display unit 200 and anencapsulation layer 300 encapsulating the display unit 200 may belocated in the island 101 of the unit portion U, and the connection unit102 may include a pair of first connection units 102 a located oppositeto each other and extending in a direction parallel to the firstdirection X, and a pair of second connection units 102 b locatedopposite to each other and extending in a direction parallel to thesecond direction Y.

The display unit 200 is located on the island 101, and may include adisplay region DA and a non-display region around the display region DA.At least one organic light-emitting diode (OLED) 230 for emitting redlight, blue light, green light, or white light may be located in thedisplay region. DA, and the OLED 230 may be electrically connected to athin-film transistor TFT. In other words, in the current embodiment, theOLED 230 is used as a display element. However, the inventive concept isnot limited thereto, and the display unit 200 may include any type ofdisplay element, such as a liquid crystal device.

Each of the display units 200 may include one OLED 230 for emitting red,blue, green, or white light and form a sub-pixel. As another example,each of the display units 200 may include a plurality of the OLEDs 230for emitting different colors of light. For example, one display unit200 may include the OLED 230 for emitting red light, the OLED 230 foremitting green light, and the OLED 230 for emitting blue light to formone pixel. As another example, the display unit 200 may include aplurality of pixels.

In addition, the OLEDs 230 in the display unit 200 may be disposed inany one of various arrangements, such as an REG structure, a pentilestructure, and a honeycomb structure. Such arrangement may depend on theefficiency of materials included in an organic emission layer.

Referring to FIG. 4, a buffer layer 202 may be formed over the island101. For example, the buffer layer 202 may contain an inorganicmaterial, such as silicon oxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride,aluminum oxide, aluminum nitride, titanium oxide, or titanium nitride,or an organic material, such as polyimide, polyester, or acryl. Further,the buffer layer 202 may include a plurality of structures formed of theaforementioned materials.

The thin-film transistor TFT may include an active layer 203, a gateelectrode 205, a source electrode 207, and a drain electrode 208.Hereinafter, it is assumed that the thin-film transistor TFT is a topgate type in which the active layer 203, the gate electrode 205, thesource electrode 207, and the drain electrode 208 are sequentiallyformed. However, the inventive concept is not limited thereto, and thethin-film transistor TFT may be any type, such as a bottom gate type.

The active layer 203 may include a semiconductor material, for example.amorphous silicon or polycrystalline silicon. However, the inventiveconcept is not limited thereto, and the active layer 203 may containvarious materials. According to an exemplary embodiment of the inventiveconcept, the active layer 203 may contain an organic semiconductormaterial. According to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept,the active layer 203 may contain an oxide semiconductor material. Forexample, the active layer 203 may include an oxide of a material fromamong 12, 13, and 14-group metal elements, such as zinc (Zn), indium(In), gallium (Ga), tin (Sn), cadmium (Cd), and germanium (Ge), and acombination thereof.

A gate insulating layer 204 is formed above the active layer 203. Thegate insulating layer 204 may be a multilayer or a single layer of afilm formed of an inorganic material, such as silicon oxide and/orsilicon nitride. The gate insulating layer 204 insulates the activelayer 203 and the gate electrode 205.

The gate electrode 205 is formed over the gate insulating layer 204. Thegate electrode 205 may be connected to a gate line for applying anon/off signal to the thin-film transistor TFT. The gate electrode 205may be formed of a low-resistance metal material. The gate electrode 205may be a multilayer or a single layer formed of at least one materialfrom among, for example, aluminum (Al), platinum (Pt), palladium (Pd),silver (Ag), magnesium (Mg), gold (Au), nickel (Ni), neodymium (Nd),iridium (Ir), chromium (Cr), lithium (Li), calcium (Ca), molybdenum(Mo), titanium (Ti), tungsten (W), and copper (Cu).

An interlayer insulating layer 206 is formed over the gate electrode205. The interlayer insulating layer 206 insulates the source and drainelectrodes 207 and 208 and the gate electrode 205. The interlayerinsulating layer 206 may be a multilayer or a single layer of a filmformed of an inorganic material. For example, the inorganic material maybe a metal oxide or a metal nitride. Examples of the inorganic materialmay include silicon oxide (SiO₂), silicon nitride (SiNx), siliconoxynitride (SiON), aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃), titanium oxide (TiO₂),tantalum oxide (Ta₂O₅), hafnium oxide (HfO₂), and zinc oxide (ZrO₂).

The source electrode 207 and the drain electrode 208 are formed over theinterlayer insulating layer 206. The source and drain electrodes 207 and208 may each be a single layer or a multilayer of at least one materialfrom among Al, Pt, Pd, Ag, Mg, Au, Ni, Nd, Ir, Cr, Li, Ca, Mo, Ti, W,and Cu. The source and drain electrodes 207 and 208 are formed tocontact a region of the active layer 203.

A passivation layer 209 may be formed to cover the thin-film transistorTFT. The passivation layer 209 removes a stepped portion generated bythe thin-film transistor TFT and flattens a top surface of the thin-filmtransistor TFT, thereby preventing the OLED 230 from being defected byunevenness.

The passivation layer 209 may be a single layer or a multilayer of afilm formed of an organic material. Examples of the organic materialinclude general-purpose polymers, such as polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA)and polystylene (PS), polymer derivatives having a phenol-based group,acryl-based polymers, imide-based polymers, arylether-based polymers,amide-based polymers, fluoride-based polymers, p-xylen-based polymers,vinyl alcohol-based polymers, and blends thereof. Alternatively, thepassivation layer 209 may be a complex stacked structure of an inorganicinsulating film and an organic insulating film.

The OLED 230 is formed over the passivation layer 209. The OLED 230 mayinclude a first electrode 231, a second electrode 232 facing the firstelectrode 231, and an intermediate layer 233 disposed between the firstand second electrodes 231 and 232.

The first electrode 231 may be electrically connected to the source ordrain electrode 207 or 208. The first electrode 231 may have any one ofvarious shapes, for example, the first electrode 231 may be patterned inan island shape.

The first electrode 231 is formed over the passivation layer 209 and maybe electrically connected to the thin-film transistor TFT through acontact hole formed in the passivation layer 209. The first electrode231 may be, for example, a reflective electrode. For example, the firstelectrode 231 may include a reflective film formed of Ag, Mg, Al, Pt,Pd, Au, Ni, Nd, Ir, Cr, or a compound thereof, and a transmissiveelectrode layer formed on the reflective film. The transmissiveelectrode layer may include at least one from among indium tin oxide(ITO), indium zinc oxide (IZO), zinc oxide (ZnO), indium oxide (In₂O₃),indium gallium oxide (IGO) and aluminum zinc oxide (AZO).

The second electrode 232 facing the first electrode 231 may have any oneof various shapes, and for example, may be patterned in an island shape.The second electrode 232 may be a transmissive electrode. The secondelectrode 232 may be a thin film formed of a metal having a low workfunction, such as Li, Ca, LiF/Ca, LiF/Al, Al, Ag, Mg, or a compoundthereof. In addition, an auxiliary electrode layer or a bus electrodemay be further formed on the thin film by using ITO, IZO, ZnO, or In₂O₃.Accordingly, the second electrode 232 may transmit light emitted from anorganic emission layer included in the intermediate layer 233. In otherwords, light emitted from the organic emission layer may be emittedtowards the second electrode 232 directly or by being reflected at thefirst electrode 231 that is a reflective electrode.

However, the display unit 200 according to the current embodiment is notlimited to the top emission type, and may be a bottom emission type inwhich light emitted from the organic emission layer is emitted towardsthe island 101. In this case, the first electrode 231 may be atransmissive electrode and the second electrode 232 may be a reflectiveelectrode. Alternatively, the display unit 200 according to the currentembodiment may be a dual emission type in which light is emitted in,both front and rear directions.

In addition, a pixel defining layer 219 is formed over the firstelectrode 231 by using an insulating material. The pixel defining layer219 may be formed via a spin-coating method by using at least oneorganic insulating material from among polyimide, polyamide, acrylresin, benzocyclobuten, and phenol resin. The pixel defining layer 219exposes a certain region of the first electrode 231, and theintermediate layer 233 including the organic emission layer is locatedin the exposed region. In other words, the pixel defining layer 219defines a pixel region of the OLED 230.

The organic emission layer included in the intermediate layer 233 may beformed of a low-molecular organic material or a polymer organicmaterial, and the intermediate layer 233 may selectively furtherinclude, in addition to the organic emission layer, a functional layer,such as a hole transport layer (HTL), a hole injection layer (HIL), anelectron transport layer (ETL), and an electron injection layer (EIL).

The encapsulation layer 300 encapsulating the display unit 200 may beformed over the second electrode 232. The encapsulation layer 300 may bea single layer or a multilayer and may block external oxygen andmoisture.

For example, the encapsulation layer 300 may be formed of a lowtemperature viscosity transition (LVT) inorganic material. Here, aviscosity transition temperature is a lowest temperature capable ofproviding fluidity to a viscosity transition inorganic material and maybe lower than a denaturalization temperature of a material included inthe OLED 230.

The LVT inorganic material may be, for example, a low liquidustemperature (LLT) material having a glass transition temperature lessthan or equal to 200° C. For example, the LLT material may include atleast one of tin fluorophosphates glass, chalcogenide glass, telluriteglass, borate glass, and phosphate glass.

For example, tin fluorophosphates glass may include 20 to 80 wt % of tin(Sn), 2 to 20 wt % of phosphorous (P), 3 to 20 wt % of oxygen (O), and10 to 36 wt % of fluoride (F), but is not limited thereto. The glassmaterials described above may further include tungsten (W). Whentungsten is added to a glass material, stable and homogeneous glass ismanufactured, and thus chemical durability of the encapsulation layer300 may increase.

In addition, the LVT inorganic material may include tin oxide, such asSnO or SnO₂. For example, when the LVT inorganic material includes SnO,an amount of SnO may be 20 to 100 wt %.

The LVT inorganic material including tin oxide may further include atleast one of phosphorous oxide (for example, P₂O₅), boron phosphate(BPO₄), tin fluoride (for example, SnF₂), niobium oxide (for example,NbO), and tungsten oxide (for example, WO₃).

For example, the LVT inorganic material may include: SnO; SnO and P₂O₅;SnO and BPO₄; SnO, SnF₂, and P₂O₅; SnO, SnF₂, P₂O₅, and NbO; or SnO,SnF₂, P₂O₅, and WO₃, but is not limited thereto.

In addition, the LVT inorganic material may have one of the followingcompositions, but is not limited thereto.

1) SnO (100 wt %):

2) SnO (80 wt %) and P₂O₅(20 wt %);

3) SnO (90 wt %) and BPO₄(10 wt %);

4) SnO (20 to 50 wt %), SnF₂(30 to 60 wt %), and P₂O₅(10 to 30 wt %)(here, a sum of weights of SnO, SnF₂, and P₂O₅ is 100 wt %);

5) SnO (20 to 50 wt %), SnF₂(30 to 60 wt %), P₂O₅(10 to 30 wt %), andNbO (1 to 5 wt %) (here, a sum of weights of SnO, SnF₂, P₂O₅, and NbO is100 wt %);

6) SnO (20 to 50 wt %), SnF₂(30 to 60 wt %), P₂O₅(10 to 30 wt %), andWO₃(1 to 5 wt %) (here, a sum of weights of SnO, SnF₂, P₂O₅, and WO₃ is100 wt %).

The encapsulation layer 300 may be formed of a glass material, and thusmay effectively prevent penetration of external moisture and oxygen whenthe encapsulation layer 300 is not formed of a plurality of layers.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the encapsulation layer 300 may be formedonly over the island 101. In other words, the encapsulation layer 300may be formed over each of the islands 101 to separately seal thedisplay units 200. Accordingly, the encapsulation layer 300 is preventedfrom being damaged by cracking or the like when the display device 10 iselongated or when the shape of the display device 10 is changed viatwisting, bending, or rolling, and thus reliability of the displaydevice 10 may be increased and flexibility of the display device 10 mayincrease.

In addition, a wiring portion, such as a second voltage line V2 may belocated in the non-display region of the display unit 200. The wiringportion may be formed of the same material as the source and drainelectrodes 207 and 208, and will be described later with reference toFIGS. 14 and 15. In addition, in FIG. 6, the second voltage line V2 andthe second electrode 232 are connected to each other through aconnection wire 216, but the inventive concept is not limited thereto,and the second voltage line V2 and the second electrode 232 may directlycontact each other.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line of FIG. 3,according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept, and FIG.8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line HI of FIG. 3, accordingto an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept.

Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8 together with FIG. 3, the display unit 200and an encapsulation layer 310 are located over the island 101. Thedisplay unit 200 may include at least one OLED 230 and the thin-filmtransistor TFT electrically connected to the OLED 230. Since the island101 and the display unit 200 are the same as those described above withreference to FIGS. 1 through 6, details thereof are not provided againand only differences will be described.

The encapsulation layer 310 may be formed over each island 131 to sealeach display unit 200.

The encapsulation layer 310 may include, for example, first and secondinorganic films 312 and 314 and an organic film 316, which arealternately stacked on each other. In FIGS. 7 and 8, the encapsulationlayer 310 includes two inorganic films, e.g., the first and secondinorganic films 312 and 314 and one organic film 316, but the inventiveconcept is not limited thereto. In other words, the encapsulation layer310 may further include additional numbers of organic films andinorganic films that are alternately stacked, and the number of timesthe inorganic and organic films are stacked on each other is notlimited.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept, theinorganic films 312 and 314 may include at least one material from amongsilicon nitride, aluminum nitride, zirconium nitride, titanium nitride,hafnium nitride, tantalum nitride, silicon oxide, aluminum oxide,titanium oxide, tin oxide, cerium oxide, and silicon oxynitride.

The organic film 316 may flatten a stepped portion formed by the pixeldefining layer 219, and reduce stress that is generated in the first andsecond inorganic films 312 and 314. According to an exemplary embodimentof the inventive concept, the organic film 316 may includepolymethylmetacrylate (PMMA), polycarbonate (PC). polystyrene (PS),acryl-based resin, epoxy-based resin, polyimide, or polyethylene.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept, theorganic film 316 may be formed by using silicon oxide containing carbonand hydrogen (hereinafter, referred to as SiOCH). For example, theorganic film 316 may be formed of a material having a formula ofSiO_(x)C_(y)H_(z).

When the organic film 316 is formed of SiOCH, the organic film 316 maybe formed by depositing a precursor film on the first inorganic film 312via plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) by using a rawmaterial gas, such as hexamethyldisiloxane, and a reaction gas, such asoxygen, and then hardening the precursor film. Accordingly, a time takento form the encapsulation layer 310 may be reduced since the organicfilm 316 and the first and second inorganic films 312 and 314 may beformed via the same method in the same chamber.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept, at leastone of the first and second inorganic films 312 and 314 may includeSiOCH. For example, at least one of the first and second inorganic films312 and 314 may be formed of a material having a formula ofSiOC_(y)H_(z).

In addition, when at least one of the first and second inorganic films312 and 314 and the organic film 316 are formed of SiOCH, SiOCH formingthe at least one of the first and second inorganic films 312 and 314 andSiOCH forming the organic film 316 may have different compositionratios. For example, a film formed of SiOCH has properties of aninorganic film when a content ratio of oxygen increases and a contentratio of carbon decreases, and thus the content of oxygen included inSiOCH forming the at least one of the first and second inorganic films312 and 314 may be greater than the content of oxygen included in SiOCHforming the organic film 316. In addition, the content of carbonincluded in SiOCH forming the at least one of the first and secondinorganic films 312 and 314 may be less than the content of carbonincluded in SiOCH forming the organic film 316.

The content of oxygen and carbon in SiOCH may be adjusted while SiOCH isprepared. For example, a SiOCH film is formed via PECVD by using a rawmaterial gas, such as hexamethyldisiloxane, and a reaction gas, such asoxygen, and in this case, when a flow ratio of oxygen that is thereaction gas is increased, the content of oxygen may be increased andthe content of carbon may be decreased in the SiOCH film.

As such, when the at least one of the first and second inorganic films312 and 314 and the organic film 316 are formed of SiOCH, the first andsecond inorganic films 312 and 314 and the organic film 316 may becontinuously formed in the same chamber by only adjusting the flow ofthe reaction gas, and thus manufacturing efficiency and yield of theencapsulation layer 310 may increase.

In addition, the first and second inorganic films 312 and 314 may havegreater areas than the organic film 316. Accordingly, the first andsecond inorganic films 312 and 314 may contact each other outside theorganic film 316, and accordingly, penetration of external oxygen andmoisture may be further effectively prevented. In addition, as shown inFIG. 8, at least one of the first inorganic film 312 and the secondinorganic film 314 may contact a side surface of the island 101.Accordingly, penetration of external moisture may be further effectivelyprevented, and an adhesive force of the encapsulation layer 310 mayincrease.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line of FIG. 3,according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 9, the display unit 200 and the encapsulationlayer 310 are located over the island 101. Since the island 101 and thedisplay unit 200 are the same as those described above with reference toFIGS. 1 through 6, details thereof are not provided again and onlydifferences will now be described.

The encapsulation layer 310 may be formed over each island 101 to sealeach display unit 200. The encapsulation layer 310 may include, forexample, the first and second inorganic films 312 and 314 and theorganic film 316, which are alternately stacked on each other. In FIG.9, the encapsulation layer 310 includes two inorganic films, e.g., thefirst and second inorganic films 312 and 314, and one organic film,e.g., the organic film 316, but the inventive concept is not limitedthereto. In other words, the encapsulation layer 310 may further includeadditional inorganic films and additional organic films, which arealternately stacked on each other, and the numbers of the inorganicfilms and organic films stacked on each other are not limited. Inaddition, as described with reference to FIG, 4, the encapsulation layer310 may be formed of an LVT inorganic material or may further include alayer formed of an LVT inorganic material.

A dam portion D surrounding at least a part of the display region DA maybe formed in the non-display region of the display unit 200.

The dam portion D blocks an organic material used in the forming of theorganic film 316 from flowing towards an edge of the island 101, therebypreventing forming of an edge tail of the organic film 316. Accordingly,the organic film 316 may face or contact an inner side surface of thedam portion D. As another example, the organic film 316 may partiallyoverlap the dam portion D but does not extend beyond the dam portion D.

The first and second inorganic films 312 and 314 may cover the damportion D and end portions of the first and second inorganic films 312and 314 may be disposed closer to the edge of the island 101 than thedam portion D to contact the interlayer insulating layer 206.Accordingly, deterioration or removal of encapsulation characteristicsof the encapsulation layer 310 caused when edges of the first and secondinorganic films 312 and 314 are detached from the non-display region maybe prevented.

The dam portion D may be formed by including the same material as atleast one of the layers from the gate insulating layer 204 to the pixeldefining layer 219 (e.g., one of layers 204, 206, 209, 219).

For example, the dam portion D may include a first layer formed of thesame material as the passivation layer 209 and a second layer formed ofthe same material as the pixel defining layer 219 and disposed on thefirst layer. However, the inventive concept is not limited thereto, andthe dam portion D may include one layer. In addition, the number of darnportions D may be at least two. When there are a plurality of the darnportions D, heights of the dam portions D may increase towards an outerregion of the island 101.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II′ of FIG. 3,according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 10, the display unit 200 is located over theisland 101, and the display unit 200 may be sealed by the encapsulationlayer 310. The dam portion D surrounding at least a part of the displayregion DA may be formed in the non-display region of the display unit200.

The encapsulation layer 310 may include the first and second films 312and 314 and the organic film 316, which are alternately stacked on eachother. Here, the organic film 316 may face or contact the inner sidesurface of the dam portion D or may partially overlap the dam portion D,but does not extend beyond the dam portion D. The first and secondinorganic films 312 and 314 cover the dam portion D and may contact eachother beyond the dam portion D.

In addition, the buffer layer 202, the gate insulating layer 204, theinterlayer insulating layer 206, and the passivation layer 209 of thedisplay unit 200 may also be formed over the connection unit 102, andthe second inorganic film 314 may extend over the connection unit 102.In other words, the passivation layer 209 located over the connectionunit 102 may be covered by the second inorganic film 314. As describedabove, since the passivation layer 209 may be formed of an organicmaterial, when the second inorganic film 314 formed of an inorganicmaterial covers the passivation layer 209 over the connection unit 102,a surface of the passivation layer 209 is not exposed to oxygen ormoisture, and thus oxygen or moisture is blocked from penetrating intothe display unit 200 through the passivation layer 209.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line of FIG. 3,according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 11, the display unit 200 is located over theisland 101, and the display unit 200 may be sealed by the encapsulationlayer 310. The dam portion D surrounding at least a part of the displayregion DA may be formed in the non-display region of the display unit200.

The encapsulation layer 310 may include the first and second inorganicfilms 312 and 314 and the organic film 316, which are alternatelystacked on each other. Here, the organic film 316 may face or contactthe inner side surface of the dam portion D or may partially overlap thedam portion D, but does not extend beyond the dam portion D. The firstand second inorganic films 312 and 314 cover the dam portion D, andcontact each other beyond the dam portion D.

The buffer layer 202, the gate insulating layer 204, the interlayerinsulating layer 206, and the passivation layer 209 of the display unit200 are formed over the connection unit 102, and the passivation layer209 may be covered by the second inorganic film 314 extending over theconnection unit 102.

In addition, a flexure portion P may be formed at least partly over theconnection unit 102. For example, the flexure portion P may be formed bypatterning the passivation layer 209. As another example, the flexureportion P may be formed by forming a stepped portion in the connectionunit 102. As such, a method of forming the flexure portion P may varyand is not limited.

The flexure portion P may be formed at a location corresponding to aconnecting region of the island 101 and the connection unit 102. Inother words, where the island 101 and the connection unit 102 meet.Accordingly, when the display device 10 of FIG. 1 is elongated, theflexure portion P reduces stress that is concentrated in the connectingregion of the island 101 and the connection unit 102 and prevents theinorganic film 314 extending over the connection unit 102 from beingdamaged, for example, from being cracked.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II′ of FIG. 3,according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 12, the display unit 200 is located over theisland 101, and the display unit 200 may be sealed by the encapsulationlayer 310. The dam portion D surrounding at least a part of the displayregion DA may be formed in the non-display region of the display unit200.

The buffer layer 202, the gate insulating layer 204, the interlayerinsulating layer 206, and the passivation layer 209 of the display unit200 may be formed over the connection unit 102. In addition, adisconnection region G may be formed over the connection unit 102 in thepassivation layer 209. The disconnection region G may expose aninorganic layer therebelow. The inorganic layer may be one of the gateinsulating layer 204 and the interlayer insulating layer 206. Thedisconnection region G may be formed to cross the connection unit 102 ina width direction of the connection unit 102.

In addition, the encapsulation layer 310 may include the first andsecond inorganic films 312 and 314 and the organic film 316, which arealternately stacked on each other. Here, the organic film 316 may faceor contact the inner side surface of the dam portion D or may partiallyoverlap the dam portion D, but does not extend beyond the dam portion D.The first and second inorganic films 312 and 314 may cover the damportion D and extend beyond the dam portion D to contact an inorganiclayer of the display unit 200.

In addition, the first inorganic film 312 and the second inorganic film314 contact each other at an outer region of the dam portion D (in otherwords, a region beyond the dam portion D), and at least one of the firstand second inorganic films 312 and 314 may contact an inorganic layerexposed through the disconnection region G. Accordingly, the first andsecond inorganic films 312 and 314 of the encapsulation layer 310 maycontact another inorganic layer in an entire outer region of the displayunit 200.

For example, as shown in FIG. 12, when the first and second inorganicfilms 312 and 314 contact the interlayer insulating layer 206 throughthe disconnection region G, the first or second inorganic film 312 or314 contacts the interlayer insulating layer 206 over the island 101 asshown in FIG. 9, and thus the display unit 200 is completelyencapsulated by the first and second inorganic films 312 and 314 of theencapsulation layer 310 and the interlayer insulating layer 206 to havean isolated state. Accordingly, penetration of external moisture and/orexternal oxygen may be effectively prevented.

FIG. 13 is an enlarged plan view of the region A of FIG. 1, according toan exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept, FIG. 14 is across-sectional view taken along a line VI-VI′ of FIG. 13, according toan exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept, and FIG. 15 is across-sectional view taken along a line VII-VII′ of FIG. 13, accordingto an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept.

Referring to FIG. 13, the display device 10 may include the plurality ofislands 101, the plurality of connection units 102 connecting theplurality of islands 101, and the plurality of display units 200respectively disposed over the plurality of islands 101. In addition,the plurality of display units 200 may each be sealed by anencapsulation layer.

Each of the display units 200 may form a sub-pixel by including one OLED230 of FIG. 4 for emitting red, blue, green, or white light. As anotherexample, each of the display units 200 may include a plurality of theOLEDs 230 for emitting different colors of light. For example, onedisplay unit 200 may include the OLED 230 for emitting red light, theOLED 230 for emitting green light, and the OLED 230 for emitting bluelight to form one pixel. As another example, the display unit 200 mayinclude a plurality of pixels.

In addition, the OLEDs 230 in the display unit 200 may be disposed inany one of various arrangements, such as a RBG structure, a pentilestructure, and a honeycomb structure. Such arrangement may depend on theefficiency of materials included in an organic emission layer.

In addition, four connection units 102 are connected to one island 101.For example, the island 101 may include the pair of first connectionunits 102 a located opposite to each other and extending in a directionparallel to the first direction X, and the pair of second connectionunits 102 b located opposite to each other and extending in a directionparallel to the second direction Y.

A first wiring portion may be located over the pair of first connectionunits 102 a and a second wiring portion may be located over the pair ofsecond connection units 102 b. For example, the first wiring portion mayinclude a first voltage line V1, the second voltage line V2, and atleast one data line DL, and the second wiring portion may include atleast one scan line SL.

The first and second wiring portions may cross each other over theisland 101.

The first wiring portion may extend along the first direction X andinclude a region protruding and curved in a direction parallel to thesecond direction Y around the penetration portion V. In other words,since the first wiring portion may extend in the first direction X andrepeatedly have a curved shape at regular intervals, luminancenon-uniformity between the display units 200 caused by the first wiringportion may be reduced or prevented. In addition, by forming a pluralityof the first wiring portions extending in the same direction such thatthe first wiring portions do not overlap each other, interferencetherebetween may be reduced.

Since the second wiring portion may extend along the second direction Yand repeatedly have a region protruding and curved in a directionparallel to the first direction X, luminance non-uniformity between thedisplay units 200 caused by the second wiring portion may be reduced orprevented. In addition, the second wiring portions extending in the samedirection may not overlap each other to reduce interferencetherebetween.

In addition, the first and second wiring portions may include the samematerial. For example, the first and second wiring portions may beformed of the same material as the source and drain electrodes 207 and208 having excellent flexibility and a stacked structure of Ti/Al/Ti.

FIG. 14 illustrates an example in which the scan line SL informed overthe second connection unit 102 b. The buffer layer 202, the gateinsulating layer 204, the interlayer insulating layer 206, and thepassivation layer 209 may be sequentially stacked over the secondconnection unit 102 b, and the scan line SL may be formed over thepassivation layer 209. Since the scan line SL is connected to a gateelectrode of a thin-film transistor so as to apply a scan signal to thethin-film transistor, the gate electrode of the thin-film transistor andthe scan line SL may be electrically connected to each other through acontact hole.

FIG. 15 illustrates an example in which the first voltage line V1, thedata line DL, and the second voltage line V2 are formed over the firstconnection unit 102 a. The buffer layer 202, the gate insulating layer204, the interlayer insulating layer 206, and the passivation layer 209may be sequentially stacked over the first connection unit 102 a, andthe first voltage line VI, the data line DL, and the second voltage lineV2 may be formed over the passivation layer 209.

The data line DL may be connected to a drain electrode of the thin-filmtransistor to apply a data signal to the thin-film transistor. The firstvoltage line V1 may be included in each of the display units 200 toelectrically connect the first electrode 231 of FIG. 4 that areseparated from each other to each other.

In addition, according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventiveconcept, since the display units 200 each include the second electrodes232 of FIG. 4 that are separated from each other, the second voltageline V2 may be formed in the same or similar pattern as the firstvoltage line V1 to electrically connect the second electrodes 232 ofFIG. 4 to each other, and the second voltage line V2 may be electricallyconnected to the second electrode 232 of FIG. 4 through a contact hole.

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line I-I′ of FIG. 3,according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept.

Referring to FIG. 16, a display unit 200′ is located over the island101, and the display unit 200′ may include a source electrode 2111, adrain electrode 2112, an active layer 2130, an OLEO 2125, a gateelectrode 2140, an optical protection layer 2105, a color filter 2106,and an auxiliary electrode 2150. In addition, although an encapsulationlayer is not illustrated over the display unit 200′ in FIG. 16 forconvenience of description, it is to be understood that the display unit200′ may be sealed by an encapsulation layer.

The island 101 may be formed of the same material described in one ormore of the above embodiments. A buffer layer 2102 may be formed overthe island 101.

The source electrode 2111 and the drain electrode 2112 may be formedover the buffer layer 2102. In addition, a first electrode 2120 of theOLED 2125 is formed over the buffer layer 2102. In other words, thefirst electrode 2120 may be formed by extending one of the source anddrain electrodes 2111 and 2112. In other words, the first electrode 2120may be formed of the same material as one of the source and drainelectrodes 2111 and 2112, and may be integrally formed with one of thesource and drain electrodes 2111 and 2112. Accordingly, processefficiency of the display unit 200′ may increase.

The active layer 2130 is formed over the source electrode 2111 and thedrain electrode 2112. The active layer 2130 may be formed to correspondto a space between the source and drain electrodes 2111 and 2112.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept, theactive layer 2130 may contact the source and drain electrodes 2111 and2112, and in particular, may contact facing side surfaces from amongregions of the source and drain electrodes 2111 and 2112. For example,the active layer 2130 may contact a side surface of the source electrode2111, which faces the drain electrode 2112, and contact a side surfaceof the drain electrode 2112, which faces the source electrode 2111.According to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept, theactive layer 2130 may contact regions of top surfaces of the source anddrain electrodes 2111 and 2112. Accordingly, contact regions between theactive layer 2130 and the source and drain electrodes 2111 and 2112increase, and thus a short channel structure may be easily realized. Inother words, a channel structure having a small size.

The active layer 2130 may be formed of various materials, and forexample, may contain an oxide semiconductor material. According to anexemplary embodiment of the inventive concept, the active layer 2130 maycontain a ZnO-based oxide. According to an exemplary embodiment of theinventive concept, the active layer 2130 may be formed of an oxidesemiconductor material containing In, Ga, or Sn.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept, theactive layer 2130 may include G-I-Z-O [In2O3)a(Ga2O3)b(ZnO)c], whereina, b, and c are each a real number satisfying conditions of a≥0, b≥0,and c>0.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept, theactive layer 2130 may include an oxide of a material from among 12, 13,and 14-group metal elements, such as Zn, In, Ga, Sn, Cd, Ge, and Hf, anda combination thereof.

The gate electrode 2140 is formed to have a region overlapping at leastthe active layer 2130. In other words, the gate electrode 2140 and theactive layer 2130 overlap each other in one region. The gate electrode2140 may be formed of at least one of various materials having excellentconductivity. According to an exemplary embodiment of the inventiveconcept, the gate electrode 2140 may be formed of a low resistance metalmaterial, and may include, for example, Mo, Al, Cu, or Ti,

A first insulating film 2135 is formed between the gate electrode 2140and the active layer 2130. The gate electrode 2140 and the active layer2130 are electrically insulated from each other by the first insulatingfilm 2135.

The first insulating film 2135 is formed so as not to cover at least oneregion of the first electrode 2120. According to an exemplary embodimentof the inventive concept, the first insulating film 2135 may be formedto cover at least one region of an edge of the first electrode 2120.

The gate electrode 2140 is formed over the first insulating film 2135.The first insulating film 2135 may be formed of at least one of variousinsulating materials, for example, an inorganic material, such assilicon oxide, silicon nitride, or aluminum oxide, or as anotherexample, an organic material of a polymer material.

A second insulating film 2144 is formed over the gate electrode 2140.The second insulating film 2144 is formed to cover the gate electrode2140. The second insulating film 2144 is formed over the firstinsulating film 2135. The second insulating film 2144 is formed so asnot to cover at least one region of the first electrode 2120.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept, thesecond insulating film 2144 may be formed to cover the first insulatingfilm 2135 in a region corresponding to a top surface of the firstelectrode 2120.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept, at leasta part of the first insulating film 2135 may not be covered by thesecond insulating film 2144 and may be exposed in the regioncorresponding to the top surface of the first electrode 2120.

The auxiliary electrode 2150 may be formed over the second insulatingfilm 2144. The auxiliary electrode 2150 is formed to contact at leastone of the source and drain electrodes 2111 and 2112. The first andsecond insulating films 2135 and 2144 are formed to expose at least oneregion of at least one of the source and drain electrodes 2111 and 2112,and the auxiliary electrode 2150 may be formed to contact such anexposed region.

The auxiliary electrode 2150 may not correspond to a region of the firstelectrode 2120, which is not covered by at least the first and secondinsulating films 2135 and 2144. For example, the auxiliary electrode2150 may not be located over the first electrode 2120 in some cases.

The auxiliary electrode 2150 increases electric characteristics of thesource and drain electrodes 2111 and 2112 In particular, when the sourceand drain electrodes 2111 and 2112 are formed of a light transmissivematerial, electric resistance of the source and drain electrodes 2111and 2112 may be increased. Such increased electric resistance may becompensated for by forming the auxiliary electrode 2150 by using amaterial having a low resistivity, thereby increasing the electriccharacteristics of the source and drain electrodes 2111 and 2112.

The auxiliary electrode 2150 may be formed of at least one of variousconductive materials, and for example, may be formed of a metal materialhaving excellent conductivity. According to an exemplary embodiment ofthe inventive concept, the auxiliary electrode 2150 may contain Cu, Ag,Al, Mo, or Au. In addition, according to an exemplary embodiment of theinventive concept, the auxiliary electrode 2150 may be spaced apart fromthe active layer 2130 such that components of the auxiliary electrode2150 are diffused towards the active layer 2130, thereby preventing theactive layer 2130 from being damaged.

In other words, the auxiliary electrode 2150 may be formed in a layerdifferent from the gate electrode 2140, e.g., over the second insulatingfilm 2144 to reduce interference with the gate electrode 2140 and toprecisely pattern the gate electrode 2140 and the auxiliary electrode2150. However, according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventiveconcept, the auxiliary electrode 2150 may be formed over the firstinsulating film 2135, e.g., on the same layer as the gate electrode2140.

A third insulating film 2145 is formed over the second insulating film2144. The third insulating film 2145 is formed to cover the auxiliaryelectrode 2150. The third insulating film 2145 may be formed so as notto cover at least one region of the first electrode 2120.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept, the thirdinsulating film 2145 may be formed to cover the second insulating film2144 in a region corresponding to the top surface of the first electrode2120. In other words, above the first electrode 2120. According to anexemplary embodiment of the inventive concept, at least a part of thesecond insulating film 2144 may not be covered by the third insulatingfilm 2145 and may be exposed in the region, corresponding to the topsurface of the first electrode 2120.

An intermediate layer 2123 is formed on the top surface of the firstelectrode 2120. The intermediate layer 2123 may include an organicemission layer to generate visible light. Light generated by theintermediate layer 2123 may have various colors, such as red, green, andblue. According to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept, theintermediate layer 2123 may generate white light.

A second electrode 2122 is formed over the intermediate layer 2123. Thesecond electrode 2122 may be formed of at least one of variousconductive materials, such as Li, Ca, LiF/Ca, LiF/Al, Al, Mg, and Ag.

The optical protection layer 2105 is formed to correspond to the activelayer 2130. The optical protection layer 2105 may be formed to face asurface of the active layer 2130, which is opposite to a surface of theactive layer 2130 facing the gate electrode 2140. Accordingly, theactive layer 2130 may be prevented from being damaged by light.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept, anover-coating layer 2103 may be formed over a substrate to cover theoptical protection layer 2105. As shown in FIG. 16, the substrate may bethe island 101, for example. The over-coating layer 2103 may be formedbelow the buffer layer 2102.

The color filter 2106 is formed to correspond to at least one region ofthe first electrode 2120. For example, the color filter 2106 may beformed to correspond to a region of the first electrode 2120, whichoverlaps the intermediate layer 2123. The color filter 2106 may bedisposed between the first electrode 2120 and the substrate.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept, the colorfilter 2106 may be formed over the substrate, and the over-coating layer2103 may be formed to cover the color filter 2106. The cover-coatinglayer 2103 may be formed below the buffer layer 2102.

The color filter 2106 may be formed to correspond to the first electrode2120, and thus a display device for generating various colors may beeasily realized.

While forming the color filter 2106, the optical protection layer 2105may be simultaneously formed by using a color filter material of onecolor, for example, red. In other words, after forming the opticalprotection layer 2105 and the color filter 2106 over the substrate, theover-coating layer 2103 may be formed to cover the optical protectionlayer 2105 and the color filter 2106.

FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line I-I′ of FIG. 3,according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 17, the display unit 200 is located over theisland 101, and the display unit 200 may include at least one OLED 230and the thin-film transistor TFT electrically connected to the OLED 230.The OLED 230 may include the first electrode 231, the intermediate layer233, and the second electrode 232, and the passivation layer 209 may belocated between the OLED 230 and the thin-film transistor TFT. Inaddition, although an encapsulation layer is not illustrated over thedisplay unit 200 in FIG. 17, for convenience of description, it is to beunderstood that the display unit 200 may be sealed by an encapsulationlayer.

The pixel defining layer 219 defines a pixel region of the OLED 230 byexposing a certain region of the first electrode 231. A light blockinglayer BL may be disposed in regions excluding the pixel region definedby the pixel defining layer 219.

For example, when the display unit 200 is a top emission type, the lightblocking layer BL may be formed on a top surface of the pixel defininglayer 219. However, the inventive concept is not limited thereto, andthe pixel defining layer 219 or the passivation layer 209 may include amaterial for blocking light. In addition, when the display unit 200 is abottom emission type, the light blocking layer BL may be disposedbetween the island 101 and the thin-film transistor TFT.

FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view of a display device 20 according to anexemplary embodiment of the inventive concept.

Referring to FIG. 18, the display device 20 may include: the substrate100 including the plurality of islands 101 and the connection units 102connecting the plurality of islands 101; the plurality of display units200 respectively arranged over the plurality of islands 101; theplurality of encapsulation layers 300 respectively encapsulating theplurality of display units 200; and first and second protection films410 and 420 respectively disposed over top and bottom surfaces of thesubstrate 100. In addition, the substrate 100 may include a plurality ofthe penetration portions V of FIG. 1 penetrating through the substrate100, between the connection units 102.

Since the substrate 100, the display unit 200, and the encapsulationlayer 300 are the same as those described above, details thereof are notprovided again.

The first and second protection films 410 and 420 may prevent externalimpurities from penetrating into the display device 20. The first andsecond protection films 410 and 420 are formed of an elongated sheet,and accordingly, when the display device 20 is elongated or deformed,the first and second protection films 410 and 420 may also stretched anddeformed. For example, the first and second protection films 410 and 420may be a biaxial oriented polypropylene film or a biaxial orientedpolyethyleneterephthlate film. According to an exemplary embodiment ofthe inventive concept, the first and second protection films 410 and 420may include PDMS. but are not limited thereto.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a display device 30 according to anexemplary embodiment of the inventive concept.

Referring to FIG. 19, the display device 30 may include: the substrate100; the plurality of display units 200 disposed over the substrate 100;the plurality of encapsulation layers 300 respectively encapsulating theplurality of display units 200; the first and second protection films410 and 420 respectively disposed over top and bottom surfaces of thesubstrate 100; and a functional layer 500 over the second protectionfilm 420.

The substrate 100 includes the plurality of islands 101 and theconnection units 102 connecting the plurality of islands 101, and mayinclude the plurality of penetration portions V of FIG. 1 penetratingthrough the substrate 100 between the connection units 102.

The plurality of display units 200 may be respectively disposed over theplurality of islands 101, and the encapsulation layers 300 respectivelyencapsulating the plurality of display units 200 may also berespectively disposed over the plurality of islands 101.

As described above with reference to FIG. 18, the first and secondprotection films 410 and 420 may prevent external impurities frompenetrating into the display device 30.

The functional layer 500 may include at least one of a polarizationlayer or a touch screen layer. In addition, the functional layer 500 mayfurther include an optical film for external light reflection, and aprotection layer. The functional layer 500 is extendable, and may beelongated when the display device 30 is bent, for example.

FIG. 20 is an enlarged plan view of the region A of FIG. 1, according toan exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept.

Referring to FIG, 20, the substrate 100 may include the plurality ofislands 101 spaced apart from each other, the plurality of connectionunits 102 connecting the plurality of islands 101, and the plurality ofpenetration portions V penetrating through the substrate 100 between theplurality of connection units 102.

The plurality of display units 200 may be respectively disposed over theplurality of islands 101. An individual display unit 200 may include atleast a display element to realize visible light. The display elementmay be an OLED.

The plurality of display units 200 may be independently sealed by anencapsulation layer.

The plurality of connection units 102 may connect the plurality ofislands 101 to each other. For example, four connection units 102 areconnected to each island 101. The four connection units 102 connected toone island 101 may extend in different directions and be disposedadjacent to the one island 101 to be respectively connected to fourother islands 101 surrounding the one island 101. Wiring portionselectrically connected to the display unit 200 may be located over theplurality of islands 101.

The islands 101 and the connection units 102 may be continuously formedby using the same material. In other words, the islands 101 and theconnection units 102 may be integrally formed.

In addition, referring to FIG. 20, the connection unit 102 includes atleast one flexure portion. Accordingly, when the substrate 100 isstretched, a shape of the flexure portion may change and intervalsbetween the islands 101 may increase, and thus a shape of the displaydevice 10 of FIG. 1 may change in 2D or 3D.

The penetration portions V are formed to penetrate through the substrate100. The penetration portion V provides an isolated region between theislands 101, reduces a weight of the substrate 100, and may increaseflexibility of the substrate 100. In addition, when the substrate 100 istwisted, bent, or rolled, shapes of the penetration portions V alsochange, thereby reducing stress that is generated when the substrate 100is deformed. Accordingly, abnormal deformation of the substrate 100 maybe prevented and durability of the substrate 100 may be increased,Accordingly, user convenience may be increased by using the displaydevice 10, and the display device 10 may be easily applied to a bendingdisplay device, a flexible display device, or a stretchable displaydevice.

According to one or more of the exemplary embodiments described herein,an encapsulation layer is prevented from being damaged when a shape of adisplay device is changed, thereby increasing reliability of the displaydevice.

While the inventive concept has been particularly shown and describedwith reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understoodby those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form anddetails may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scopeof the inventive concept as defined by the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A display device, comprising: a plurality of unitportions repeatedly arranged in a first direction and a seconddirection, wherein the second direction is different from the firstdirection; a plurality of display units respectively arranged above theplurality of unit portions; and a plurality of encapsulation layersrespectively encapsulating the plurality of display units; wherein eachof the plurality of unit portions comprises an island where a displayunit and an encapsulation layer are located, and at least one connectionunit connected to the island, and islands of two unit portions adjacentto each other are spaced apart from each other, and connection units ofthe two unit portions adjacent to each other are connected to eachother, wherein each of the plurality of encapsulation layers comprises afirst inorganic film, a second inorganic film, and an organic filmbetween the first and second inorganic films, wherein each of theplurality of display units comprises a thin-film transistor comprisingat least one inorganic layer, a display element electrically connectedto the thin-film transistor, and a passivation layer between thethin-film transistor and the display element, wherein an edge of thepassivation layer and an edge of the at least one inorganic layer arealigned with each other, and wherein the first inorganic film covers theedge of the passivation layer and the edge of the at least one ofinorganic layer.